Process of treating flour.



J. N. ALSOP.

PROCESS OF TREATING FLOUR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 19, 1914.

Patented May 23, 1916.

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LVi/bweomzo I citizen of the United States,

eras arena i i rc JAMES NATHANIEL AISOP, F OWENSBORO, KENTUCKY, AS$IGNORTO NEW ALSO? FLOUR PROCESS COMPANY, PORTLAND,

Specification of Letters Patent.

MAINE, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

PROCESS OF TREATING FLOUR.

Patented May 23, 191%,

application filed November 19, 1914. Serial No. 873,038.

To all whom z't-may concern Be it known that I, JAMES N. ALsor, aresiding at Owensboro, in the county of Daviess and State of Kentucky,have invented new and "useful Improvements in Processes of TreatingFlour, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of treating flour for the purpose ofartificially aging or bleaching the same.

In U. S. Letters Patent granted to me May 10, 1904, No. 759,651, is setforth a process of treating flour which has gone into general andextensive commercial use in the United States as well as in numerousforeign countries, and the utility thereof is now well understood in theart. It has been found in proceeding according to the proc ess of mysaid Letters Patent in cold weather and where the atmosphere is dry, theresult of treating flour with the rocess according to said LettersPatent is insufiicient to the attainment of the desired and bestresults.

I have discovered that by adding moisture to the atmosphere or gas towhich the flour is subjected according to my said Letters Patent thatimproved results are attained in such cold and dry atmospheres as above.mentioned. I have discovered, furthermore,

that the moisture may be added to the atmosphere either before or aftersuch atmosphereh'as been subjected to the action of the electric are orflaming electric discharge; that it may be added in the form of steam,and that what I regard as the best results are secured by adding totheair or gaseous mixture suflicient moisture to saturate it. What I meanby this is ;atmospheric air contains moisture in various quantities,and, perha graphical and other conditions, is suscepti 1c of. holdingmoisture in suspension in various quantities-in other words, thesaturation point of the atmosphere diflers in different localities; andby saturation point I mean that condition immediately preceding that "inwhich the moisture collects or condenses disruptive electric discharge,of which arcs and flaming'discharges are examples, and to which moisturehas been added; and, also,

ps dependent upon geographical, to 0- vlating material to one in theparticularities of treatment hereinafter set forth and claimed. A

In the accompanying drawing I have llustrated an apparatus suitable forcarrying the lIlYGl'llJlOIl into practical use, and in, this drawing theapparatus is illustrated.

more or less conventionally and largely in this is an intermittentflaming discharge, as

contemplated in my aforesaid Letters Patent, 2 des gnating the fixedelectrode, and 3 the movable electrode, having suitable connection 2 3*,with a source of electricity which may be such as and arranged as shownin my aforesaid Letters Patent No. 7,59,651said electrodes beingpreferably of carbon, although electrodes of other material, such asiron, which will not introduce any deleterious substance into theatmosphere or,

gas may be employed. The movable electrode is guided in'its movement byan eye 4 carried by an arm 5 supported, as shown suitably from thetreating chamber 1, and is intermittently moved toward and from thefixed electrode to strikie, elongate; and break the electric dischargeby link'connections from the operating crank 6 of the pump by which theatmospheric air is caused to flow through the treating chamber and theultimate atmosphere or gas passed into contact with the flour. As shownin the drawing, the electrode is gripped by an arm 7 pivotally connectedby a link 8 of insu-' end of a walking beam 9, which in turn has linkconnection 10, 11, with the crank 6. To feed the electrode as itisconsumed, an abutment 12 of insulating material carried by the arm 5is arranged in the path of movement of the gripper arm'7, so that ateach forward reciprocation of the electrode the abutment engages thegripping arm, turns it upon its pivotal. connection with the link 8,and, by reason of the flaring wall of'the perforation 13 of the gripperarm frees the elec-= trode from the latter and allows it to feed.

The object of this arrangement is, generally, to bring the movableelectrode into contact with the stationary one to strike an arc, so thata low voltage may be employed, then move it away to elongate the arcuntil it breaks, a rapid succession of arcs being made and broken duringthe operation of the apparatus, which character of electric discharge ispreferred. The invention, how ever, is not restricted to such discharge,as a stable arc,now well known in the electricchemical art, may wellserve the purpose.

The numeral 14 designates a suitable air conduit by which atmosphericair is drawn into, through and out of the treating chamher 1 by means ofa suitable pump 15, and by which pump the atmosphere or gas is then sentinto contact with the flour, in a reel R, to be treated while the flouris in a state of fine division, as is customary in a bolting reel,through a suitable conduit 16, the pump having appropriate valves 17arranged in appropriate valve chambers 18.

19 designates a conduit suitably provided with a regulating valve 20through which steam from any suitable source is introduced into theatmosphere in conduit 14, and by which steam is conveniently regulatedin respect to such atmosphere.

As shown in the drawing, the steam is introduced to the atmosphere priorto the action of the electric discharge. As has been stated, a suitablealternative is that the moisture may be introduced into the air or gasafter the action of the arc, in which case the steam will be introducedinto the conduit 16 leading to the flour treating chamber through asuitable (onduit 21, provided with an appropriate regulating valve 22,and, if desired, and as shown, apparatus for practising myinvention maybe provided with suitable means for the introduction of steam at bothpoints, so that either may be used electively.

I desire it understood that my invention is not limited to theintroduction of moisture to the atmosphere by means of steam,

' as that is merely preferential. This may be accomplished in variousways which will be obvious to one putting the invention into practiceand by passing the heated atmosphere through a body of water, etc.

The regulating valves referred to enable the operator to introduce thedesired quantity of moisture to the atmosphere or gas. A suitable guidefor him will, as above stated, be the saturation of the gas with themoisture as above explained. The meaning of this term, in so far asconcerns my invention, has been above explained. Obviously the opertatormay vary the amount of moisture introduced into the atmosphere or gasaccording to particular conditions with varying degrees of beneficialresults, and, therefore, my invention is not limited to the saturationof the air with moisture.

The process is, I believe, facilitated by a suitable preheating of theatmospheric air, and, therefore, preferably, it is so preheated.

- This is accomplished by providing an annu- 'may vary within widelimits without appreciably aifecting the result attained. If there beany appreciable difference, it is only in the length of time duringwhich the flour is subjected to the treatment, and this can be readilydetermined by testing the flouras to its color.

Having thus'described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a processof bleaching and maturing flour by atmospheric air modified bydisruptive electric discharge, adding moisture to said atmosphere priorto the action of the electric discharge. thereon.

2. In a process of bleaching and maturing flour by atmospheric airmodified by disruptive electric discharge, preheatingsaid atmosphereprior to the action of the electric discharge thereon and" addingmoisture thereto. v

3. The process of bleaching and maturing fiour by atmospheric airmodified by disrup tive electric discharge, preheating said at--mosphere and adding moisture thereto to the point of saturation of saidpreheated atmosphere prior to the action of the electric dischargethereon.

In testimony'whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JAMES NATHANIEL ALSOP. Witnesses:.

J. L. MILLER, Looms P. LITTLE.

